Automotive Firsts

At DefensiveDriving.com we love all things car and driving related. So we have assembled this list, for fun, over time. We want to share it with all of our readers who love automotive trivia as much as we do! The sources for this list are varied, and we welcome all corrections and comments.

In 1771 the first accident involving a motor vehicle took place in Paris when Cugnot’s steam tractor hit a low wall in the grounds of the Paris arsenal.

On August 31, 1869, Mary Ward became the first recorded victim of a steam-powered automobile accident.

The world’s first automobile accident occurred in Ohio City, Ohio in 1891.

The French police issued the world’s first car number plates in 1893.

First American car race: Chicago, in 1895. Average speed: 7.5 mph.

The first used car lot in America opened in 1897 with 17 cars.

On September 13, 1899, Henry Bliss became North America’s first motor vehicle fatality when hit while stepping off a New York City trolley.

The first state to require license plates on cars was New York, in 1901.

The world’s first speeding ticket was issued in Dayton, Ohio in 1904.

The first reported car theft in America took place in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1905.

DISMISS YOUR TICKET OR WE PAY IT UP TO $250

We're so confident that you can dismiss your ticket with our service that we'll give you up to $250 if you don't.

What do we mean by 'up to' ?

We've been doing this a long time (since 2000 to be exact), so we know your ticket will be dismissed. But, in the unlikely event that it isn't, we'd like to contribute some cash toward it, up to a value of $250.
Basically, if your ticket is $250 or less, we'll give you the full value of your ticket, if it's more than that, we'll give you $250.
It's really that simple.
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We cannot provide a refund if any of these scenarios are applicable:

- You do not successfully complete the course prior to your court deadline.

- You do not have court permission to take a defensive driving course to dismiss a ticket.

- You provide the court with documentation that is inaccurate, incomplete or late or you fail to pay court fees.

So what's the catch?

Payment will be made within 28 days of your successful claim being submitted. You may need to pay the court before you receive payment from us. We will not be held accountable for any costs, fees or charges associated with late payment of your ticket/fine.

We cannot pay the ticket if any of these scenarios are applicable:

You do not successfully complete the course prior to your court deadline (the course has a 99.99% success rate).

You do not have court permission to take a defensive driving course to dismiss a ticket.

You provide the court with documentation that is inaccurate, incomplete or late or you fail to pay court fees.